Kangaroo Meat

[WhiteLight]

I have just noticed when I go into pet or vet supplies areas and ask about Kangaroo meat products I am told they will have to order as the do not keep it in stock.

The reason? A lot of people say it makes their dog sick.

I would have though it would be the best meat for them low in fat, less chemicals pumped into them than say Chicken, lamb or beef.

Does anyone feed this to their pets is their anything I should be careful of.

It is part of their barf diet which is 60% vegies and 40% protein.

Thanks for your help.

[dogdayz]

I know my vet told me (as i used to feed kangaroo a lot) that it is fine for adult dogs, but can be wormy so keep the dogs upto date with worming. He also told me not to feed to a pup because it has lower calcium content than other meats. No idea if this is true, but i guess if you are feeding bones that is not such a problem.

The reason i fed it in the first place was due to food allergy in one dog (chicken), allergies to Roo are uncommon. I have also seen it said that it is addictive - once a dog is used to it, they will eat no other meat - cannot say mine have had that problem.

Edited December 22, 2004 by dogdayz

[MolassesLass]

I believe it does make a lot of dogs sick at first as it is a very rich meat and something to get used to. But introduced slowly most dogs will be fine.

I've seen it in Coles recently and humans probably get the same reaction

[KitKat]

Roo meat tends to be very rich (very gamey) which is why some dogs get sick on the stuff, if a dog is weaned onto it there isn't usually any problems.

edited to add...hehehe Molasseslass...i was taking too long typing

Edited December 22, 2004 by KitKat

[ricey]

I been feeding roo meat to my pack for over two years now without problems. It is only part of their diet; They also get dry food, Prota roll, the occasional chicken frame/neck/wing, etc. They appear to prefer roo to any other food

I use the Prota 1kg packs of roo for dogs; these are available in Coles. I guess if you were concerned about low levels of calcium, you could the Prota roo for cats as this has added calcium. It's a few cents more expensive that the roo for dogs, and I've bought it when there has been no dog roo available.

Peter D

[WhiteLight]

ricey,

I was told by the vet if I use the pet roo meat to add vegemite to is as the preservative added to it destroys the B vitamin group.

I have given it o my dogs in little amounts and it seemed ok. I gave Godzy chicken yesterd (ok I dropped it and he stole it - talk about the white blur) and his allergy has really started up.

I was thinking of using Kangaroo as the main meat now. Also noticed VIP has a "give a dog a bone " pack which is a chopped off piece of Kangaroo tail. I wonder if Ian Billinghurst knows as I think that is the name of his book.

Thanks guys will keep on slowly adding it to their diet.

Very much appreciate your input.

Also as it is so lean and I cannot walk the dogs at present - the grass seeds are blooming - the low fat will help as well.

Thanks

[ricey]

ricey,

I was told by the vet if I use the pet roo meat to add vegemite to is as the preservative added to it destroys the B vitamin group.

Thanks for that tip L.B.

I'll start putting some vegemite in their roo meat. How Oz is their tucker going to be now?

Peter D

Edited December 22, 2004 by ricey

[aatainc]

LB - I think the main problems are these;

-Kangaroo is always preserved (pet stuff that is) and as you know the die can kill vit b - whereas you would probably be able to get preservative free meats of all other kinds just as cheaply.

-kangaroo is a major carrier of toxoplasmosis and therefore poses a risk to pregnant women. They can get it just by touching the meat - and dogs can get it and pass it on through their faeces - so the more dogs fed kangaroo the more problems pregnant women face around dogs.

-Kangaroo is a frequent carrier of other parasites. we recently had one very sick puppy due to hookworm which we strongly suspect he got through his kangaroo meat - and NOTE - we did use drontal every 2 weeks and he still got it.

-kangaroo is very rich and so yes it can cause tummy upsets.

-as it is so lean it can cause the condition of the coat to deteriorate if it is the main or only meat source

-it is low in essential fatty acids so you would need to add supplements to allow for this

-Roo meat - as it is mainly harvested by piggers and landowners - is not a regulated industry. You are much more likely to get contaminated meat from roos and other wild animals than you are from normal human meats - even of pet grade. Roo is not inspected like human meats.

Really though - none of these things are major factors if you have a dog that is allergic to almost everything but roo. I would absolutely avoid it with pregnant women or immune compromised people or animals anywhere near though.

[blacklabrador]

60% veges and 40% protein? Thats an unusual balance in a BARF diet.

[Divine Angel]

I buy the roo meat that you get from the supermarket. It's mixed with beef (I think) so it can be introduced to dogs who don't like full roo meat.

I have had one problem with it though. A few years ago I bought it and found a bit of metal in it that looked like a bullet. I washed it and sent it back to the company, who analysed it and sent me back a voucher and a letter of apology.

I check the meat thoroughly now, of course. But if this is the option you are going to take, just be aware.

With Jasmine, I don't feed it to her all the time, just when I'm running low on chicken necks etc.

[dogdayz]

I have been buying the roo mince sold for human consumption in the supermarkets lately, as it is cheaper than the beef mince currently (when possible i like to use human grade meat, whatever type). This may be an alternative if you want to avoid the pet quality, certainly with a smaller breeds. I have noticed the pet quality has a distinctive sweet smell compared to the human stuff, maybe that is the preservatives.

[Ciara]

I know my vet told me (as i used to feed kangaroo a lot) that it is fine for adult dogs, but can be wormy so keep the dogs upto date with worming. He also told me not to feed to a pup because it has lower calcium content than other meats. No idea if this is true, but i guess if you are feeding bones that is not such a problem.

The worms in Kangaroo meat are apparently harmless to dogs.

Kangaroo meat for pet consumption has preservatives in it, and all sorts of other crap.

The best Kangaroo meat to buy for your dogs (IMO) is the human quality consumption meat. It is preservative free and doesn't contain fillers or dyes.

My Chihuahua refuses to eat it, whereas my Shepherd will eat anything.

A safe way to feed raw kangaroo meat is to freeze it first before defrosting and feeding to the dogs.

That way alot of the nasties (that are in every other meat as well) get killed off before you feed your dogs.

Question:

Can dead worms infect a dog and make it wormy?

Normal processing of kangaroo meat kills any worms that may be in it.

The wormy meat is not used for the human consumption meat, that's another way to get around it if it makes you squeamish. :rolleyes:

Mostly it's maggots and not worms anyways, that are found in the meat.

~As told to me by my husband who is a butcher and works with kangaroo meat exclusively. ~

[WhiteLight]

Blacklabador,

Health issues at one stage the poor blighter was on 80% vegies to 20% meat.

Now I can use very very low fat meats in a higher portion % as long as it is not chicken, lamb,pork or beef .

Which leaves Turkey, Goat , Kangaroo and fish.

Goat is now hard to come buy since the specialist butcher closed.

[SarahH]

I feed my GSP roo mince combined with dried food and chicken necks or frames - not alot of roo meat - probably about 250g a day.

he's always had a very sensitive stomach - especially to fatty meat - too much fat and he'll be crook for the next day and a half (and i have to clean it up!) so I can't feed him lamb off cuts in particular, regular beef mince is too fatty and the premium is too expensive! so the kangaroo meat has been great.

his coat looks and feels terrific and i often have people comment on how shiny it is.

[Prydenjoy]

Salli, the worms in kangaroo meat may be harmless to dogs, but if the dog eats them and licks you, or even poo's in the backyard, it can be transmitted to humans and be potentially deadly. My dogs get wormed very regularly, every month or two, living on a farm, and having dogs that find and eat dead roo's, rabbits and sheep, I don't want to take the risk with hydatid tapeworm.

[Guest waygre]

many of the farm dogs up this way are fed roo meat but I personally wouldnt give it to my pets.

(actually i wouldnt even eat it myself)

Turkey is a great meat for dogs that have allergies.

The worm thing just turns my stomache

[cav_crazy]

my two dogs eat roo mince..

Before that i would have to always change the food i gave to cooper because he is fussy. he has been on it now for 5 months and hasnt even turned his nose to it.

It bulks them up too ive noticed.

I feed my staffy 300 grams of roo mince at night and eukanuba lamb and rice in the mornings ( dry biscuits). His coat is always shiney too.

I sometimes put rice with their roo mince but not that often.

We have a pet food shop just out of town (10 minute drive away) they sell the roo mince, chicken mince, beef mince etc in 1kg. 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg

[BANDAR]

My ridgebacks won't eat roo meat at all, surprise for me as they eat anything. My male ate it and got really sick and the girls just sniffed and walked away. Have never tried roo again.

cheers

Bandar

[Mighty]

I used to feed my previous dog roo meat the only side affect he had was smelly gas. And he lived until the age of 17. 

[sheena]

This post is 14 years old